Yeah ok. I was warned. Newborndome is no joke. Midnight feedings… sleep deprivation… a bazillion dirty diapers. How have people been doing this for centuries?!? Jk. Baby H is totally worth the effort - even if I officially can’t have a cup of coffee in the morning without it going cold.

Caleb has been fabulously supportive. Even though he is back at work, he’s found ways to give me little breaks when he can like downtime to make a craigslist run or have a glass of wine on our deck. He even gave me a block of baby-free time to knock out a new piece:

A Heywood-Wakefield Airflow Dresser

I actually scored this dresser somewhere in my 3rd trimester (I think I might have played my last preggo card to convince Caleb to help me pick it up one morning before work) - ha! It was obvious that the previous owner did not realize what a rare find they had considering they put it in their sticker-loving son’s room. Just look at the damage to the signature H-W finish!

The watermark on the back revealed that it’s a “wheat rub.” This means it was truly vintage and not a reproduction since newer H-W pieces sport their signature Amber finish. This piece could date somewhere in the 1930’s-1950’s when Heywood-Wakefield art-deco-inspired mid-century modern style rose to popularity. I debated long and hard about how I was going to tackle this project and eventually decided on:

A restoration

I was seriously on the fence about restoring vs transforming. After consulting my brother-in-law the wine-cellar-building-carpenter-and-fellow-vintage-furniture-lover I realized it would be practically criminal to alter it with paint or new hardware.

First order of business to get it back to its former glory was to SAND THE HECK OUT IT. Yeah that sticker residue had to go.

After the thorough sanding came a thorough waxing.

The wax gives it a buttery finish that’s much closer to that trademark Heywood-Wakefield buff.

This is actually not the first Heywood-Wakefield piece I’ve gotten on my hands on. Some of you may remember this gimpy coffee table find from 2017 that I ended up keeping for myself.

Although a little patinaed, the coffee table had an original H-W “champagne finish” which, if you ask me, looks practically the same as the “wheat rub” on the Airflow dresser. That could be due in part to the fact that all H-W pieces are made out of the same wood: northern yellow birch.

Sealing the Airflow dresser in a wax allowed the natural golden tones of the northern yellow birch to shine.

Besides the finish, another trademark feature of a H-W piece is the sculptural lines - like the unique curves in the drawer fronts and the architectural details in the handles.

I know Heywood-Wakefields can read a little too George Jetson to some so I wanted the styling to show how it can still have its moment in the modern day. The quirky lines of this vintage dresser play well with the mod lines of my velvet cantilever chair flip and cheeky llama prints.

And I just had to pull out my face vase and add a touch or two of terracotta.

This newly restored bad boy is now available for sale if you’re in the market for a piece of American-made history! Email me for purchasing or shipping options.

This spring, I had the privilege of picking over my first ever estate sale with my very best pickin' buddy Chelsea. And boy did we strike gold! Just check out some of the smaller goodies that Chelsea scooped up:

A post shared by Chelsea Bieber, StyleMutt Home (@chelsea_stylemutthome) on Apr 4, 2017 at 5:02am PDT

Thanks to Chelsea's research, we stumbled into an eclectic gold-mine-of-a-house that was brimming with unusual finds. One of which was an original Heywood-Wakefield coffee table with a missing leg. But pieces with missing legs don't stop us - especially if it comes with a missing-leg price.

Known for their curved lines and lighter finishes, Heywood-Wakefield pieces are American made and date back to 1897. Based on some of the clues outlined on their website (yes they are still making furniture) our gimpy little find was more likely circa the mid-century. Without the fourth leg, I knew I couldn't restore it to it's original glory. But as Chelsea pointed out - it still had 3 perfectly good legs. They just need to be repositioned for some stability.

By centering the remaining good leg on the left side, the table could get back on it's feet again!

In my opinion, it looks like it could have always been a tri-base!

I ended up leaving the patina as-is instead of restoring it to the typical Heywood-Wakefield satin finish. I couldn't help it - I just love the story it tells! The rustic wood plus the curved lip on the table reminds me of an antique dough bowl.

For funsies, I styled the wall around the table with some digitally-altered blank canvases. (Could you tell? As much as I'd like to, no I don't own an original Matisse sketch.) That blue-green balcony view print was also an estate sale steal.

If you're in the DC Metro area and want to bring home this vintage score - email me at cate@stylemutthome.com.

Before I dive in, I'm going to give you the words of wisdom from today's Reader Design genius to start things off:

In a time when everything is getting bigger, we love that our little home is a constant reminder that you can live with less and thrive, just as many generations of families have lived in our home before us.

Today is such a treat. I have been following along with Amanda, of both Cashmere & Clover and the Rustic Owl on IG, from Kansas City, Missouri for some time now. And she is AMAZING - as are her animals that you'll see scattered throughout these photos.

Her home is chalk full of antiques and treasured pieces.

Amanda and her husband bought this 2 bedroom, 1 bathroom 1922 home ten years ago. They are not afraid of projects! Since the purchase, they've finished the attic to include a master bedroom and are currently renovating a master bathroom. Each room is masterfully done, serving a purpose while also being filled with only the most curated items.

From Amanda:

We love the character of older homes and tried to match everything from the trim to the color of the hardwood floors upstairs with the original style of the downstairs.

Several years ago we made the decision to declutter our home and simplify. We found we were buying mass produced furniture and decorating our home with things we didn’t love. Once we removed those things and painted the walls white, we were able to highlight and make the focal point in our home the things we loved that told a story.

Could you guys not sit in this place forever? Now, I'm not a cat person, but with those plants and that lighting, I would be willing to change my ways! Seems like Amanda agrees...

We’re lucky to have lots of large windows throughout the house to give us lots of light, and the combination of the white walls and bright light really makes the space seem larger.

Amanda did such a great job with her master bedroom - which obviously, the pets also love!

Our downstairs guest room was our bedroom before we finished the upstairs, and our elderly dog ended up injuring his back jumping down off of our tall bed. My husband [SMH interjection: the SWEETEST husband] decided to build a bed on the floor that our dog could easily get in and out of.

Our home was built in 1922, and the rooms were not designed with the idea that a bed larger than a double would ever reside in it. It takes up a majority of the room, but it’s one of my favorite pieces in the house because of the intention and story behind it.

Y'all... even the appliances are beautifully styled. Amanda is seriously on to something with this simplicity thing.

Amanda, you're a true talent. Thank you for sharing your home with us! And give those pet babies a big style mutt squeeze for us!